A Path Appears: Transforming Lives, Creating Opportunity (Paperback)

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Description

With scrupulous research and on-the-ground reporting, Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn explore how altruism affects us, what are the markers for success, and how to avoid the pitfalls. In their recounting of astonishing stories from the front lines of social progress, we see the compelling, inspiring truth of how real people have changed the world, underscoring that one person can make a difference.

A Path Appears offers practical, results-driven advice on how best each of us can give and reveals the lasting benefits we gain in return. Kristof and WuDunn know better than most how many urgent challenges communities around the world face to­day. Here they offer a timely beacon of hope for our collective future.

About the Author

Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn, husband and wife, have coauthored three previous books: Half the Sky, Thunder from the East, and China Wakes. They were awarded a Pulitzer Prize in 1990 for their coverage of China and the Dayton Literary Peace Prize for Lifetime Achievement in 2009. Now an op-ed columnist for The New York Times, Kristof was previously bureau chief in Hong Kong, Beijing, and Tokyo. He won his second Pulitzer in 2006 for his columns on Darfur. WuDunn worked at The New York Times as a business editor and foreign correspondent in Tokyo and Beijing. She now works in banking.

Praise For…

“Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn show you, through many amazing vignettes matched with serious evidence, that you can make a difference. . . . Read this book. Seize one of the many opportunities it lists, and change lives for the better, including your own.” —The New York Times Book Review

“A Path Appears is an exhaustive though not exhausting profile of giving, with surprising guidance—indeed, coaching—on how to be an effective giver. . . . Upon finishing the book, readers are likely to . . . find themselves willing to do something in the world, unconcerned by questions of scale, but instead, to simply become more engaged, and in that, alive.” —The Boston Globe

“[A Path Appears] opens an important conversation for anyone interested in how to contribute to catalyzing positive change . . . [it] sheds light on the exploitation and inequity that exist in our own backyard, while also spotlighting the individuals overcoming it.” —Christian Science Monitor

“Readers will be inspired by the stories [Kristof and WuDunn] tell….There are so many problems in the world, and so many organizations wanting charitable donations, that we can sometimes feel overwhelmed. [The authors] help us weed through those issues and find that path so we can make a difference.” —National Geographic.com

“Engaging and informative. . . . Kristof and WuDunn’s commitment and passion for substantial action is inspiring.” —Publishers Weekly“[Kristof and WuDunn’s] vibrant portraits of ordinary citizens who are motivated to effect real and dramatic change present a rallying call to action and a voice for the power of volunteerism….This is a slow-go read in the most positive sense; it is hard not to constantly put down the book in order to further investigate the many exemplary causes that are profiled.” —Booklist

“The authors deliver a profound message that packs a wallop.” —Kirkus

“A Path Appears . . . shows how someone with little can make a massive difference to the world we live in.” —The Christian Post

“This is a lyrical guide that addresses the deep human yearning to make a difference. It’s full of indelible stories reminding us that, yes, helping people is hard—but it’s both possible and infinitely rewarding. A Path Appears offers practical steps that any of us can take to empower others, and ourselves.” —Anne Rice

“Nobody clarifies the social challenges of our time, or the moral imperative to help meet them, better than Nick Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn. Their latest book, A Path Appears, offers an inspiring roundup of the many simple and effective ways in which we can lend our hearts and talents to grow hope and opportunity both at home and around the globe—and an important reminder that just because we can’t do everything doesn’t mean we shouldn’t do something.” —President Bill Clinton

“Nick Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn have done us all a great service by shining a light on the problems faced by the poor. These stories of real people struggling for survival and opportunity serve as a powerful reminder that poverty is complex and painful, but the call to action doesn’t need to be. With insight, compassion and optimism, Kristof and WuDunn show us that we can all play a role in making the world a better place. A Path Appears is a compelling read that can’t help but to educate and energize.” —Bill and Melinda Gates, co-chairs of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation

“Cold facts, flesh and blood stories - the written word is their loud hailer. They write, we read, and our world view is not the same. Nick and Sheryl’s meticulous arguments and free flowing eloquence is what inspires their readers to become activists . . . myself included.” —Bono, lead singer of U2 and Co-Founder of ONE and (RED)

“A Path Appears is an insightful book focused on how individuals can contribute to positive change and the remarkable people behind the organizations that make it happen. The authors’ desire to motivate people to support good causes, learn about the situation in other countries, and find the best way to help their fellow men and women is inspiring.” —Angelina Jolie

“This book is a class act. Its insights and honesty touch me on the deepest of levels and inspire me to raise my game to help the poor.” —Bill Hybels, founding pastor, Willow Creek Community Church

“Helping suffering people around the world to transform their own lives is a rewarding challenge we all share as citizens of a global community. A Path Appears is a helpful and inspiring guide for anyone who wonders what difference a single person can make in building a more hopeful world.” —President Jimmy Carter, founder of the not-for-profit Carter Center

“Rare is the book that can actually transform us into better, more fulfilled people. Having combed through the research and documented case studies all over the world, Kristof and WuDunn present the clearest view I have ever seen of the human soul. A Path Appears tells us whether we are intrinsically good, why specific ways we parent our newborns help predict their chances for success, and how we can live lives of greater significance. This book, full of rich and riveting true stories, reminds us that human greatness is all around us, and even within us, if we dare to look.” —Ann Curry

“Have you ever thought that compared with so many people in the world, you are blessed and should try to help those less fortunate—but you worry that you just don’t know how to do it in a smart and effective way? Your problem has been solved. Read this engaging, moving, inspiring book. It will tell you about the world’s myriad problems but also the dazzling array of efforts to solve them. It will tell you how you can make a difference—even if all you have is ten minutes or forty dollars. And it will remind you that by giving to others you will gain for yourself the ultimate gift, a meaningful life.” —Fareed Zakaria

“While readingA Path Appears, I felt I was taking a much needed rest under a shaded grove of trees on my own journey to ‘make a difference.’ I highly recommend it as an absolutely terrific investment of time that will leave those who read it more hopeful and motivated.” —Deborah Fikes, executive advisor of the World Evangelical Alliance